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Meet Diamond Rowe of Tetrarch, the guitarist repping for Black women making metal

November 22, 2016

Black women and punk music go as far back as punk music itself. Those untold stories are part of the reason why AFROPUNK exists, and telling these stories is part of our mission. We asked Diamond Rowe about her experience being a Black woman in a metal band, and here’s what she had to say! “As far as my thoughts about being an African American female in a metal band – I honestly immensely enjoy it! A lot of friends of mine that are minorities speak a lot about being discriminated against or treated differently in a lot of ways when it comes to playing in such a white male dominated genre but I have honestly only experienced maybe ONE instance where I have felt unwelcome at a show or an event because of who I am and that was a very long time ago. If anything, who I am has been more of an advantage for me and my band Tetrarch. We have been able to reach a demographic of people in some cases that we probably would never have been able to if that initial sense of us having something “different” were not there.” It’s heartwarming to know that the scene is changing and more accepting of the wide range of ethnicities, gender expression and demographics involved in making punk the music of the people.

She went on to say that, “It’s a little frustrating at times because though there are SEVERAL amazing women that take part in this genre, there are many I feel like that would not be in the positions that they are in if it weren’t for the fact that they are extremely sexy or if they didn’t dress a certain way that entices men to pay attention to them or their bands. That’s just not who I am – I want to be known for being as good at playing the guitar and writing music as I can be without all the other things that come along with having tits haha! But I would not change this live that I have chosen or the experiences that I have had or am going to have with Tetrarch for anything in this world. They have made me who I am and with the support of my amazing family and friends I am really excited to see what the future holds for me and Tetrarch.” We’re certainly excited to see what else is in store for Tetrarch has in store, wishing Diamond and the whole band continued success! Check out some tunes and videos from